For the egg whites

For the ganache

Method

Take four 200ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Chill the dishes for 5 mins, then, as an insurance policy so the soufflé doesn’t stick to the dish, apply a second coat as before. Tip a little grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round.

For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and cornflour. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a bowl, stir, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and mix well.

Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps.

Gradually stir hot chocolate mix into paste. Return to pan. Cook, stirring, over a medium-low heat for 5 mins to a smooth, thick paste. Remove from the heat. Leave until cold, beating occasionally with a wire whisk.

Make the ganache: slowly warm the cream in a pan. Just before it boils, take off the heat and add chocolate. Beat constantly to a velvety texture, gradually sprinkling in the cocoa as it dissolves. Allow to cool.

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés.

Mix crème patisserie and ganache in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of egg white. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume); fold in the rest.

Spoon the mixture into the dishes to fill them by three-quarters, then gently press a spoon in to make sure it fills all the gaps. Fill the dishes to the top with the mixture, then bang each dish on to the surface so the mixture fills the sides.

Take a palette knife and pull it across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking.

So mixture won’t stick to the top of the mould, and to give a straight finish, go around the top edge of the mixture with your finger. Sprinkle a little grated chocolate in the centre, then bake the soufflés for 15-17 mins.

The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top. To serve, make a small dip with a spoon in the centre of each, then pour in single cream or add a spoonful of ice cream.

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Comments, questions and tips

Comments (28)

Pincho8820th Jan, 2014

5

Really great recipe, tasted amazing! Seems pretty foolproof too, I don't cook that often and didn't follow it religiously and it came out really well (if I say so myself). I do agree with the poster below about a lot of effort and time but that's a Soufflé for you!

Nice but not sure if it was worth the effort (and there was a lot of effort!). One burst but the others came up ok so make a couple more than you need just in case. I've had better soufflés, namely the passion fruit and banana one Ramsey has in his Sunday Lunch book, which is seriously amazing.

I have eaten twice at Gordon Ramsay at the London, NYC...and the best way to end that experience is with Gordon's amazing Toffee chocolate souffle. It is the single best desert I ever had.

So with some nerve, I set about to make this recipe. It took one hour, I had to convert the MLs and Grams to cups...but the result was AMAZING. BEST.DESSERT.EVER. My guests were blown away at how perfect these turned out. I had given Gordon's restaurant souffle a 10 out of 10. But now I give his a 12 because, for the first time in my life I cooked a perfect "10". There is NO better Souffle recipe. Show some care when you make it. Take your time, no short cuts and you too will know the Power of the Gordon!

@SB: I think the creme patissiere(which was spelled wrongly in the recipe)and ganache can be prepared up to a day in advance. Just whisk the egg whites and fold it in when you're about to serve them. I have done something similar before and they worked fine, afterall the only ingredient that doesn't last the test of time is the meringue. As long as that is done shortly before baking your souffle should still rise perfectly.

Am I the only one who struggle with making souffles for myself or for two persons when all the recipes are meant for 4 or above? It's kind of difficult to measure 1/8 tsp of corn starch for example. :( Thus that explains why I've had experience making souffles from leftover creme patissiere from days before. :)

Is it possible to prepare all of this souffle in advance and then just cook it when needed? I'm thinking of doing it for a dinner party so won't be able to prepare and cook it all in one go. Any tips greatly appreciated.

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